It starts when you finally have the keys and realize that half your bank account has turned into deposits you didn’t even know about. This is when Dubai quietly grins and reminds you that moving into a long-term apartment in Dubai is not rent and chill, it is a series of rituals no one told you about.
Before you can start any of that relaxation, you’ve already survived the quest of all quests called “finding rentals on Property Finder or Bayut” while avoiding rookie agents who arrived in Dubai two weeks ago and somehow became experts. The best part is that every apartment looks perfect on the Internet, until you msg the agent via Whats App, which clearly is the real way to communicate in Dubai real estate.
How Expatriates and Residents Can Rent a House in Dubai
None of this takes place without your Emirates ID and a local bank. From there? We are locked out as every apartment becomes a museum. After you are a real resident, Property Finder and Bayut will become your two new best friends. Short stay accommodations might look simpler via Airbnb or Blueground, however, none offer you the holy grail: a real tenancy contract, protected under Dubai’s landlord-friendly laws.
The platform is hardly the tricky part. Picking a locality makes for the first major decision as to where to live: Dubai Marina for beach vibes, JBR for pleasant walkable vacation vibes, Downtown for luxury high-rise living, Creek Harbour for the tranquillity of waterfront evenings, or JVC/JVT when your purse strings are losing to your self-interest, but still wants a mall nearby.
Renting in Dubai for Expats, Title Deeds, and Avoiding Rental Scams
But the real plot twist is when you think you’ve found the one. Before you sign anything, you better look at that title deed. Not a courtesy, not polite, just** a must**. There are many apartment scams in Dubai, and checking that deed, and validating it against the landlord’s passport, or Emirates ID, is your one-way ticket to ensuring the person requesting the rent owns it. Every seasoned expat knows this. Every first time expat realizes it the hard way.
Another way that negotiating is different in Dubai; is in actual checks for rent, yes, physical checks, printed front and back! The fewer checks, usually the better deal you got. If you get to one or two checks, the landlord starts to bend. When you stretch it to around 6 or 12, the landlord is no longer flexible. Long-term contracts are usually 12 months, and most have break clauses, **unless you want to melt in Dubai summer.
Costs Associated with Renting in Dubai – Deposits, Fees, Unanticipated Payments
You will think that if you have paid the first rental check that is all you have to do; but, in Dubai, you would be wrong. A 5% agency fee pops up. Followed by a rental deposit – which is commonly one month’s rent, but can be more. Now, before you have even moved in, you will write every check going forward, yes, including post-dated ones, to assure the landlord that the money actually exists, even if it is seized up in the future.
This is still not the point you have even moved in. Why? Because Dubai loves official paperwork, and next up is the EJARI registration.
EJARI Registration Process Explained – Government System, Fees, Approval Time
Getting your Ejari registration is like starting a secret mission and no one tells you about it. The tenant – not the agent or owner – is responsible for doing it. You will go to the Dubai Land Department’s website, create your account, upload your IDs, submit your contract details; rental amounts; pay the approx 177 AED fee; one week later you will be sent the receipt upon approval, without the ejari registration your tenancy will not exist legally. Without ejari, you cannot set up electricity, connect to wifi, or gas – you basically cannot live life.
It is almost humorous that even after an approval from Ejari has been finalized, there is yet another inconvenience awaiting you: a move-in permit. This is mandatory in many buildings, some as soon as three days before your intended day of move-in, and very rarely discussed by the agents. If you have a friend to give you a heads up, you may avoid a scenario of a moving truck full of boxes and you are turned away from building security.
Getting Utilities Set Up in Dubai (DEWA, Cooling Companies, Internet Providers, Gas Installation)
Once you have secured approval from the building, the real expensive avalanche begins. DEWA – Dubai Electricity & Water Authority – is your only source of water and electricity. Register through their website, have your tenancy contract or title deed available to enter your contract account number, then you are instantly tasked to pay a deposit $2,000 AED for water and electricity to be connected, plus activation fees.
Cooling is another option. Some apartments have this included inside the DEWA bills. However, others require a separate sign-up to private district cooling companies like Empower or Zenner, and expect another deposit around 1,500 AED, plus activation fees to set this up too.
Internet is made easy enough to get set up, but it doesn’t clearly escape the hijacking deposits as it tries too look simple enough to set up. DO is often the internet provider chosen for the home internet, or etisalat is what everyone has for the best SIM cards. There will be a technician that will come to install the internet without delays, and it will go smoothly, but then wait for it, while you expect smooth sailing, another deposit gets added to your expense list.
If you are renting an apartment with a gas supply, you’ll want to get ready for the next layer of bureaucracy. That means you’ll need to find out what gas supplier your building uses (in many cases Brothers Gas). You will either need to make a phone call or complete an online form to register, and then, of course, pay a deposit and the activation fee.
At this point you’ve paid deposits for DEWA, for cooling, for internet, and now for your gas supply. You’ve signed your life away on possibly a stack of checks. You’ve negotiated over a year of your rent obligation. You’ve paid your agent: and still, Dubai is saying, “There is more.”
Dubai Municipality Housing Fee Added to Monthly DEWA Bills
Ah yes, the municipality housing fee, a quiet 5% tax, based on your annual rental amount, and magically added every month to your DEWA bill. The majority of agents will not mention this fee, even when asked directly. For example, if your apartment is 155,000 AED, that means 7,750 AED per year added in monthly installments.
And suddenly, the actual total cost from your upfront or move-in amount gets to numbers that shock even the most prepared newcomers – rent, deposits, agency fees, cooling fee, gas fee, DEWA activation fee, and internet deposits, all piling on until your upfront, or move-in, amount is significantly more than just the first check you wrote for the rent.
Renting a home in Dubai- for Expats and Digital Nomads
An experience that begins as a simple apartment search becomes a full-blown financial plan, a government-portal-a-thon, and a crash course in how to not be scammed; however, once all is said and done, Dubai has one of the most organized tenant protected systems, Ejari, which promotes fair play, refundable deposits, efficient utilities, and visible online portals.
It is a long process, but the benefit is clarity and stability. By the time you’re finally sitting on your living-room floor in your new rented apartment in Dubai, you know more about DEWA deposits, cooling contracts, gas installation, and rental checks than you ever thought possible.
